There is a lot to consider when you are getting your home ready to sell. One of the most basic considerations must be to decide on the best way to display what the house you are selling has to offer to potential buyers, not what your home has meant to you for the time you’ve lived there. And that means before you place your property on the real estate market, you need to make it less personal and more saleable.

For instance, if you are a collector of angel figurines and you have them displayed on most wooden surfaces and in cabinets–whether built-ins or your own furniture–you need to pack those pieces away and give the property a more “clean” or less cluttered appearance. The same can be said for your husband’s record collection or race car collectibles.

Family pictures are okay, just not maybe the large quantity you are used to displaying around the home. One family portrait sitting on the mantle or on your foyer table is acceptable. Having pictures of all your children and pets in a line up the wall alongside the staircase to the upper level will take away from the potential buyer’s ability to see their own personal touches on those walls.

Make sure the house is thoroughly clean before you allow the property to be shown, be sure and keep any personal items displayed to the absolute minimum-avoiding clutter is the key, and you will have a greater chance of receiving offers for your property.